Since the latter half of the 1960’s and up until now, right leaning and conservative Canadians have watched in horror as the Canadian Left has slowly eroded away at our national heritage and Judeo-Christian values, replacing our honor and our pride with watered down new nationalism consisting of bashing upon the United States and applying the usage of “Eh” at the end of any sentence.
Now for Canadians who oppose this rather tepid and uninspired “New Nationalism”, haven’t had many options in the past, other than immigrating to the United States, where they have found their new fellow citizens share with them a common bond, but also have found that every time they venture back to their country of birth, they feel more disconnected from it, to the point where one day, they either abandon their Canadian Citizenship entirely or it simply becomes a footnote to tell their children and grandchildren about.
Now the question posed to us, is how do we make conservatism both more relevant in Canadian society? I believe that by making the following changes, we can stem the exodus of right wing Canadians and make conservatism relevant in the Canadian political area.
The Issues:
Free Speech:
Now when it comes to freedom of speech, Canada would rate rather highly by international standards, but unfortunately we are not fully free to express ourselves. I would like to direct your attention towards the “Section 01” of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which includes a “Limitation Clause” which does not protect all free speech.
Now to many conservative minded Canadians the idea that your speech could be regulated or even challenged under the law, is both fairly abhorrent and defies the freedoms in which our forefathers fought and died to defend.
Now some will tell us that we should limit things such as hate speech, or the promotion of genocide or any other topic which we might find unpleasant. The problem with this line of thinking is that, all sides should be able to express their views, no matter how offensive, ill informed or wrong they may be. After all, the cornerstone of a democracy is the right for the citizenry to be heard, and that voice should be unimpeded, no matter what it feels the need to express.
Firearms Control:
Now many on the left would tell you, that by limiting the ability of citizenry to bear and keeps arms makes for a safer society, but this is simply not true!
For many years now, the Canadian population has had their firearms rights either abrogated or restricted to the point, where Canadian Citizens now have to take mandatory firearms courses, register their weapons with a large and ineffectual government body and finally will no doubt be found guilty if they were to ever use those weapons in defense on their own dwelling. Now thankfully our friends at the National Rifle Association, and its Canadian equivalent the National Firearms Association have helped to stem some of the ludicrous legislation put forward by those on the left, for the most part we are slowly trundling down the path to becoming a firearms free country.
After all, when did we vote to abrogate our right to self defense, and put our fate in the hands of ruffians, rapists and murderers? I for one, feel unsafe in most parts of Canada these days, as I know that if I were to be assaulted, I would no doubt be faced by an armed attacker, who could cause me grievous bodily harm or potentially kill me, but if I were to defend myself with a less than lethal alternative such as OC spray or an ASP baton, I would be treated on the same level, as those who have attempted to accost me, and God forbid if I were to use a firearm.
Gay Marriage:
Though in recent years this issue has mostly faded into the background, but for many conservative Canadians it remains a strong bone of contention.
Now like many changes that tend to happen in modern Canadian society, rather than being put to a vote, the issue of allowing homosexuals to marry was taken out the hands of the Canadian voter and pushed through the legislative process as though it were nothing more than footnote to larger and more pressing national concerns.
Now for anyone of faith, the idea that homosexuals can marry is a fairly repulsive concept, but what furthermore puts the proverbial stick in the eye, when it comes the gay marriage debate, is the fact that men on the cloth who volunteer to serve in the Canadian Forces, are forced to allow gay marriages in their place of worship, even though their calling as a man of God, expressively forbids this practice.
Socialized Medicine:
Now some will say, that one of the greatest things about living in Canada is our access to “free healthcare” though for anyone who has had to endure the nightmare that is the Canadian healthcare system, they’d rather worry about co-pays than have to deal with the “quality” care that is the Canadian Healthcare System.
Now many activists will tell you that in the United States, that socialized medicine is a right and that they’d rather have a country that took care of everyone, and in no way would want the citizenry to have any form of personal responsibility for their healthcare needs. Now I will admit that it’s true that in the United States that many Americans are uninsured, and do not have regular access to a healthcare provider, but I can also unequivocally say that no one is ever turned away, contrary to myth popularized by the left in Canada.
Socialized medicine, does not provide a better standard of care, and more than often it’s actually worse than if an individual did not seek treatment at all. Also, when it comes down to brass tacks, there’s no such thing as free healthcare, but instead we are simply being gouged by the government, while not having the option to seek private care, unless you leave the country.
The Solution:
If we want to create an atmosphere in Canada that is more friendly to conservatives and right wing minded people, then we must push for judicial reform when it comes to our freedom of speech and expression, and push for the repeal of “hate speech laws” and any other judicial activism that infringes on the rights of Canadian Citizens to freely express themselves.
On the issue of firearms control, conservative Canadians must educate their fellow citizens about the right to bear arms, and we must push for both the establishment of a constitutional reform that would recognize the right to keep and bear arms, along with the right to concealed carry and the right to defense of one’s property (Castle Doctrine).
With reference to the issue of gay marriage, a simple solution would be to push for a repeal of the current status of gay marriage, and then to push for constitutional reform on the issue, and hopefully allowing for the passage of a defense of marriage act, that would protect traditional marriage, and would permanently bar gay marriage on Canadian soil, or the recognition of gay marriages abroad.
Finally, when it comes to the issue of socialized medicine, the first step must be the repealing of the Canadian Healthcare Act, and allow doctors to charge what they feel is reasonable for their services. Also, the insurance industry in Canada would expand, thereby creating jobs and making for a more prosperous and healthy nation.
In conclusion, with a little bit of gumption, and willingness to seek change, conservative Canadians can again make Canada a shining city which the world would envy, and would do much to stem the “brain drain”, and make the decision to move down to the United States, a climatic one, rather than a political, economic or moral decision.
